Local duo win crown

NEWPORT BEACH ? In the one set they lost, the Newport Beach tandem of Elizabeth Nguyen and Melissa Matsuoka showed a hint of the resolve that would help them achieve victory.

They won a game in the second set that featured a dozen match points, then ended up losing the set. But Nguyen and Matsuoka, who will be freshmen at Corona del Mar High next fall, fought through the blistering heat to post a 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 triumph over Neda Ghassemi of Corona del Mar and Courtney Pattugalan of Irvine in the girls’ 14 doubles final of the 17th annual Balboa Bay Club Racquet Club Junior Tournament on Friday.

“It feels wonderful,” Nguyen said. “But’s it’s too hot out here.”

Ghassemi and Pattugalan, down a set, broke Nguyen and Matsuoka to take a 2-1 lead in the second set.

Then the marathon game began.

Pattugalan served nearly 30 times in the game and both squads let multiple game-point opportunities fall by the wayside.

Nguyen and Matsuoka stayed with a double-baseline formation throughout the game, keeping the ball away from Ghassemi at the net whenever possible and encouraging long rallies.

Near the end of the drawn-out game, a deep, high Nguyen lob bounced too high for a return. After a Ghassemi volley created yet another deuce score, Ghassemi and Pattugalan finally cracked, each producing a rare errant shot that allowed Matsuoka and Nguyen to win the game.

However, Ghassemi and Pattugalan weren’t discouraged. They went on to win four of the next six games to take the second set, 6-4, and force a deciding set.

Neither team was in much of a hurry to get back onto the court for the third set after finding some water and shade. But when they did appear, it was Nguyen and Matsuoka who appeared more refreshed.

“We just relaxed and calmed down,” Matsuoka said. “Then we came out more focused and got more balls in.”

Nguyen and Matsuoka opened the set by holding serve. They broke Ghassemi and Pattugalan in the second game, then held again to take a quick 3-0 lead.

Nguyen and Matsuoka even mixed in some volleying, finishing off points more quickly than in the first two sets.

“We put it away faster instead of rallying so much like before,” Nguyen said. “We were keeping the ball in and not making so many unforced errors.”

Nguyen and Matsuoka broke again, then won their fifth straight game. Matsuoka’s volley sparked the game-five win. Ghassemi and Pattugalan held serve to avoid being shut out in the third set, but another Matsuoka volley in the seventh game put away the match.

Nguyen and Matsuoka went with the double baseline formation about 60% of the time, but closed the match with some effective volleying.

“If we make a lot of mistakes at the net, we have to change styles,” Nguyen said.

The first set was tied in games four different times. The score was tied, 3-3, when Nguyen and Matsuoka won two straight games to take a 5-3 lead.

Ghassemi and Pattugalan bounced back to tie the score, 5-5, then each team broke the other to knot the score, 6-6, forcing a tiebreaker.

Nguyen and Matsuoka won the tiebreaker using their double-baseline formation, content to outlast their opponents on long points.

dpt.22-tennis-nguyen-BPhotoInfoTF1T70PJ20060722j2s51fncCredit: Caption: (LA)Elizabeth Nguyen hits a forehand. Nguyen and partner Melissa Matsuoka won the girls’ 14 doubles title with a three-set triumph. dpt.22-tennis-ghassemi-BPhotoInfoTF1T70GS20060722j2s51uncCredit: PHOTOS BY MARK DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT Caption: (LA)Corona del Mar resident Neda Ghassemi hits a backhand in the girls’ 14 doubles final of the War by the Shore tennis tournament.